Obama pardons two turkeys in annual Thanksgiving rite

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama performed an annual rite of presidents yesterday, pardoning a pair of turkeys on Thanksgiving Eve and cracking jokes about the competition that brought them to his famous doorstep.

"For the record, let me say that it feels pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this November," Obama said in the White House Rose Garden, where he was flanked by daughters Malia and Sasha. A "shellacking" is how Obama described the beating Democrats suffered in elections earlier this month; the party lost control of the House and saw its Senate majority trimmed by six seats.

Apple and Cider, two 21-week-old, 45-pound turkeys raised on a farm outside Modesto, Calif., were plucked from a group of 25 birds during a competition "that involved strutting their stuff before a panel of judges, with an eclectic mix of music playing in the background," Obama said.

He called it a "turkey version" of "Dancing With the Stars," the program that crowned its newest winner Tuesday night.

"Except the stakes for the contestants was much higher," Obama said, laughing. "Only one pair would survive and win the big prize. Life."

Apple and Cider bring Obama's pardon total to four - four turkeys, that is. Last year, he pardoned a pair of turkeys named Courage and Carolina. He has not yet issued any pardons for humans.

The president wished America's families, including many buffeted by the economic slump, a safe and happy holiday.

He also thanked the men and women of the U.S. military for serving "bravely and selflessly" in places far away from home.